Cubs proved they're the less-bad team

Sunday's 3-0 win over White Sox completed a pounding in the Crosstown Series.

Nathaniel Whalen

In the 11 seasons in which the Crosstown Series has meant something, there had never been a beatdown quite like this.

All right, it wasn’t exactly the best baseball in the world, and it might have been a down-and-out White Sox team that the Cubs pounded on, but it’s not like the North Siders went into U.S. Cellular Field looking like a juggernaut.

By the time they left after Sunday’s 3-0 win, though, there was no doubt which was the less bad team.

The Cubs (35-39) never trailed during the series, held the Sox (29-45) to just two runs over the three games and swept a series on the South Side for the first time in the rivalry’s existence.

“They played the crap out of us,” said Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, whose team has lost 22 of its last 27 games. “They outplayed us this weekend. They did ...

“They made the plays, they pitched right, they had clutch hitting and we didn’t. They played a hell of a weekend. We have to admit it. If those guys keep playing the way they did against us this weekend, they have a chance.”

The Cubs, who also won two of three from the Sox in mid-May, became the first Chicago team ever to win five games in the “el series” in one season.

“Oh, man, we had a very good weekend here,” said Alfonso Soriano, who homered in all three games over the weekend, including a seventh-inning solo shot Sunday that made it 2-0. “I hope we can continue it.”

The Cubs again scored first - though it took a little longer this time than in the first two games of the series, when Soriano hit leadoff homers. Sunday, it was Angel Pagan’s RBI groundout in the sixth that gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Against this Sox team, that was all starter Sean Marshall (4-2) and his successors needed. The left-hander threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings before being pulled after 81 pitches because manager Lou Piniella said he was tiring.

“We came in here, the South Side, and held this team to two runs in three games,” Piniella said. “That’s pretty darn good pitching. And today was no exception.”

The Cubs increased their lead to 3-0 after a wild play in the eighth. With two on and nobody out, Mark DeRosa hit a ball over right fielder Rob Mackowiak’s head. Felix Pie tagged up at second in case the ball was caught, but Pagan ran full steam from first to second, creating a logjam on the basepaths. The Sox eventually got what appeared to be a double play, tagging Pagan out at second and catching Pie in a rundown between third and home.

But shortstop Juan Uribe, who had made contact with Pagan, was ruled to have committed obstruction, and the umpiring crew ruled that it was a dead ball as soon as Pagan was tagged. Pagan was awarded second base, Pie was sent to third and DeRosa to first, giving the Cubs the bases loaded with nobody out.

Guillen went out, argued and asked to get ejected. He was. Acting manager Joey Cora went out to protest but didn’t know what he was protesting. That didn’t work.

The Cubs eventually made it 3-0 on Koyie Hill’s sacrifice fly to center.

“One thing, we didn’t lose the game because of that,” Guillen said.

No, they lost the game, the series and perhaps some players - general manager Ken Williams said before the game that changes needed to be made - because of the Cubs pitching and/or their own lack of hitting.

“They outplayed the White Sox for three games,” said Sox starter Jose Contreras (5-8), who allowed two runs in seven innings. “You have to give credit where credit is due.”

More Cubs and Sox coverage can be found online at www.dailysouthtown.com/sports.